Somnium Ingredior
by Kitera
Summary: The Gates is a town full of secrets and Kara is like any other resident; full of them. It is only when her dreams start turning strange that some of those secrets must come to light.


**A/N:** This has been floating around in my head since I started watching The Gates about three weeks ago. I finally decided that maybe it was time that I gave it a shot and actually put it all into words. So here is the beginning of what I hope will be a fanfic that I update regularly throughout the summer in conjunction with new episodes. I'm definitely going to give it a try. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from The Gates. All characters (except Kara and her family) belong to the shows creators and ABC.

**Summary:** The Gates is a town full of secrets and Kara is like any other resident; full of them. It is only when her dreams start turning strange that some of those secrets must come to light.

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**Somnium Ingredior**  
_by Kitera

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Chapter One: I Enter a Dream Accidentally

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_I was running through the woods and its night. Leaves whip across my face but I don't feel it, the fur around my muzzle protects me. My paws seem to fly across the leaf strewn ground. I'm aware of every root, rock, and fallen tree branch and know just where they are in order to avoid them. I can hear several other wolves running behind me, the soft sounds of their paws meeting the ground the only tell tale sign that I'm not alone. I want to be alone more than ever though, I just can't let them know that. I can't show them that I'm anything but strong. I'm pack alpha, and I have to protect that position at all costs.

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The alarm jolts her awake with its screaming beep, her hand fumbling on the nightstand for the snooze button. She needs five more minutes. She _needs_ to find out more about what is going to happen in the dream. But fate as other plans as the alarm begins to whine again just as she's starting to drift off again.

Groaning she pulls herself from the bed and rubs her eyes. The room is foreign to her and for just one moment she doesn't know how she got there. It's when someone knocks on the bedroom door and Jacqueline's head pops in that it all comes roaring back. The move, her father's disapproving stare in the rearview mirror, Jacqueline's pleased expression at having found them the perfect refuge.

"Hurry up or you'll be late, Kara." Jacqueline reminded her even though Kara knows she wants to come in and talk with her.

Kara grunts. That's more than enough conversation with her step-mother for one morning. Jacqueline's head disappears back into the hall; the door closing softly behind her and Kara is all too aware that she's standing outside listening for sounds of movement. Heaving a sigh she gets out of bed and begins shuffling through boxes for an appropriate outfit for her first day at a new school.

People say The Gates Academy has the highest acceptance rate into Ivy League Schools. Her father would love nothing more for her to follow in his footsteps and attend Brown University. She knows he wouldn't mind if it were Yale or Harvard either, but Kara knows better. Getting into an Ivy League school is not what she'll be doing. Kara will be happy to get into a good school with her past record. Her last school not very tolerant of her, even before…

"Kara move it, you'll miss breakfast." Kara's father shouted up the stairs.

Looked like Jacqueline had already told him how Kara basically ignored her. Well if she was going to play that game today Jacqueline wasn't the only one who could. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a green baby doll tee Kara headed downstairs in the most fashionable way possible: riding the banister.

The kitchen was still a maze of towering boxes. That's the thing about moving that she dislikes so much, it takes forever to completely unpack. Although typically during the unpacking process one ends up throwing out at least a quarter of what they packed to begin with. Navigating her way through the short maze Kara stopped and bit her tongue to keep from making some comment about how her father and Jacqueline looked wrapped around each other practically making out.

It didn't stop Kara from clearing her throat however. For the best really, she thought anyone would have wanted to heave bile after a couple more seconds of their happy newlywed crooning. They pulled apart much too slow for her tastes so instead of staying where she was Kara grabbed a granola bar from the counter and left.

Technically Jacqueline was supposed to drive Kara to school but at this point the idea of riding a bus was more than welcome. Kara had purposely left her empty school bag by the front door along with the new house keys. She spent a heartbeat or two staring at them before picking both up and walking out the door.

"I'm taking the bus in and home. Don't bother coming to pick me up." Kara called as she walked out and let the door close sharply behind her.

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He woke with a burning headache. He was almost entirely positive that he was still asleep except for the fact that he couldn't feel the wind blowing through his fur anymore. The central air was rumbling softly through the vent, the only sign that he'd been dreaming rather running the night before.

His cell phone beeped with an incoming text message. Rolling over, he flipped open his phone to read it.

"Brett ran alone last night." He read.

Anger flared through him so fast that he was sure he could break something with little to no effort at all. He bottled that anger for later and focused on getting out of the tangled sheets without aggravating his injured leg. Poachers were rare in the woods surrounding the Gates but sometimes they were there looking for deer. Usually the pack was able to stay away but not that night.

Again he paused and bottled up the memories of the night. No use in over thinking the mistakes of that night. There were other things to worry about like how Brett broke the rules and ran without him.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed he pushed to his feet ignoring the sharp throbbing pain that shot up his leg. If the gunshot was infected he was screwed. Pulling on a pair of jeans and one of the sleeveless shirts he was so fond of he slipped his cell into his pocket. Responding to Lexie would have to wait until he was outside. For now he had to face his old man at breakfast and make it out of the house.

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The Gates Academy teemed with life as the bus rolled to a stop in front of it. Kara wasn't sure what to make of it. The building was tall and all brick. The school name in large golden letters and pillars surrounding a covered walkway between buildings. The place was a little too elaborate for her tastes.

Shuffling off the bus Kara allowed herself to be dragged along by the swarm into the building. There was no better way to get in without her usual procrastination. Of course it also left her at the mercy of the surging masses and whatever direction they pushed her in. In the case of this morning it happened to be into a taller blond form.

She heard him hiss as her bag swung into his leg and couldn't help but feel sorry for her lack of control this time. Her typical reaction was to act as if it were the other persons fault.

"Sorry, I wasn't…" Kara let the words drift off into nothing. The boy standing there before her, she couldn't put it into words. He possessed the sort of presence that commanded and she felt torn. Being ordered around was something she tended to rebel against for the sheer thrill of it. Yet today Kara found herself frozen both mentally and physically.

"I noticed." He bit out snapping Kara back to her sense.

"You noticed what? I never finished what I was saying."

"You were going to say you weren't paying attention, right? I noticed that."

Kara rolled her eyes and grinned at him, "I'm Kara."

"Lukas." He muttered over his shoulder as he started to walk away.

"Wait!" Kara called after him cursing herself for the pleading note she heard in her voice and hoped he didn't notice, "Could you point me in the direction for the administration office. I need a new copy of my class schedule; I managed to lose the one I got in the mail."

Lukas turned around and for moment appeared to be gauging the sincerity of her story. During that time frame Kara stood fidgeting. She should have picked someone else like the blonde girl down the hall that was watching both of them while her friend with the frizzy black hair talked to her. As it didn't look like he was going to speak any time soon with directions.

"Down the hall, take a right and the office is on the left. You can't miss it." He finally directed and then continued on his way, presumably to class.


End file.
